Jul 18 Vegan Vietnamese Pho

"Pho" (pronounced as "fuh"), is a traditional Vietnamese rice noodle soup with longer-simmered broth topped with coriander, Thai basil, mint, beansprouts, lime and sometimes, jalapeños. It is aromatic, flavorful, yet still light. It is prepared with all fresh natural ingredients and provides daily nourishment that one needs. Below is a slightly adopted no-meat version of the traditional soup (which is cooked with beef bones). I particular enjoy making the broth of the Pho. It does take long time to simmer until the broth is ready, but I tell you, it is so worth the wait. The end result is just beyond words. The broth has such a complex flavor thanks to the different spices. It is one of my favorite Asian dishes and I hope you will like it too.

Serve 2

What you'll need:

For Broth

1 medium-sized onions, halved

3 pieces of fresh ginger slices (about 2-3 cm long)

1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 tbsp funnel seeds

1 cinnamon stick

2 whole star anise

2 cardamon pods

3 whole cloves

4 cup of vegetable stock

2-3 tbsp soy sauce, to taste

For Noodle Soup

120 g rice noodles

handful of bean sprouts

small handful of Thai basil

small handful of coriander

small handful of chopped spring onion

1 lime, cut in half

Salt and pepper, to taste

How it's made:

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.

Place onion and ginger slices on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 5 mins. Take out the onion and ginger slices and set aside.

Place all the spices in a frying pan and dry roast for about 3-5 mins until fragrant. Stir constantly to prevent them from burning. Remove from the heat.

Add onion, ginger, roasted spices, and soy sauce in a large pot and cover with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low heat. Simmer on low for 1-2 hours. Strain the stock into a saucepan and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to instructions.

Prepare two serving bowl with cooked noodles, beansprout, Thai basil, coriander, and spring onions. Pour the hot soup over, season with salt and pepper, and serve with lime halves.